<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Diving In by Imori_Hikaru</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25791883">Diving In</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imori_Hikaru/pseuds/Imori_Hikaru'>Imori_Hikaru</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Olympics, Diving, M/M, Olympics</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:48:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,649</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25791883</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imori_Hikaru/pseuds/Imori_Hikaru</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It was an honor to be competing in the Olympics, but it was an even bigger honor to be competing alongside one another. Even if it meant added pressure to perform well. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima were competing in the 10m synchronized platform event together while Sugawara and Daichi were paired up for the 3m synchronized springboard event.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Haikyuu Olympics Bang</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Diving In</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tsukishima glanced at Yamaguchi as he dropped his duffle bag on top of his suitcase. Yamaguchi was more fidgety than usual. Tsukishima rolled his eyes before yanking Yamaguchi’s duffle bag out of his arms and dumping it on top of his suitcase like he’d done with his own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you stop that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop what?” Yamaguchi looked at Tsukishima, his eyes wide. He looked as though he was going to pick the bag back up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Acting like a nervous weirdo.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tsukki—” Yamaguchi started, since he was pretty sure he was always a “nervous weirdo.” Tsukishima gave him a look that shut him up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, guys!” Sugawara waved at them as he drug his suitcase behind him, Daichi was with him, walking at a more reasonable pace. “You ready to win some medals?” He was grinning brilliantly, and Yamaguchi felt a fresh wave of guilt wash over him. Sugawara was only competing in one event while the rest of them were competing in two. Yamaguchi didn’t even do the same events as Sugawara but felt as though Suga deserved a place in the individuals more than he did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hope you’re not sick of us yet, since we’re going to be living together for the duration of the games.” Daichi offered once he finally caught up to their little group. They had just spent two weeks together for training, now they were going to be living in even closer quarters for two and a half weeks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could think of more annoying athletes to be stuck with.” Tsukishima scoffed. Yamaguchi bit his lip, thinking about a few of the guys they knew from their home center that Tsukishima was surely referencing. Sugawara giggled and tipped his head to rest it on Daichi’s shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hear that? They don’t hate us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Daichi corrected with a chuckle, “they don’t think we’re the most annoying.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah!” Yamaguchi’s hands immediately flew up in front of him. “We like you guys don’t worry! We definitely don’t hate you!” Daichi and Sugawara looked shocked for a second before they both burst into laughter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut up, Yamaguchi.” Tsukishima shook his head, pushing up his glasses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, Tsukki.” Yamaguchi mumbled in return.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, bud, we don’t hate you either.” Daichi said once he finally shut down his laughter, clapping a hand on Yamaguchi’s shoulder. Their conversation was cut short when their train pulled into the station.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi felt heat creeping up his neck and face as he took in the other divers milling about around them. He turned to look at Tsukishima, his face bright red and eyes wide.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What?" Tsukishima asked, his eyebrows pulling together. "You literally see guys in speedos all the time." Yamaguchi let out a garbled whimper and dropped his head onto Tsukishima’s shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"They're just so... small... and tight." Tsukishima rolled his eyes even though Yamaguchi couldn’t see it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"News flash. So is yours." This was probably not the right thing to say in that moment. Yamaguchi's head popped up immediately to look Tsukishima in the eyes. His face went from bright red to stark white in a matter of seconds. Tsukishima fought back yet another eyeroll. "You'd better not puke."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Yamaguchi hadn't been so nervous, he might have been offended. He hadn't gotten sick before a competition since high school. His eyes wandered away from Tsukishima's face and he caught sight of one of their competitors stretching, his barely covered and very toned backside in full view. Tsukishima pinched the bridge of his nose.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I would tell you just to imagine them naked," Tsukishima scanned the people around them. He couldn't actually see them since he didn’t compete with his glasses on. He'd never admit it, but he might be just as flustered as Yamaguchi if he could. "But I have a feeling that's exactly what you're doing."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Competing alone is one thing, but Yamaguchi was feeling the immense pressure of the synchronized ten-meter platform event. Tsukishima was counting on him to perform to the best of his ability. If he messed up, he wasn’t just letting himself down, but also Tsukishima.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi bit his lip as he and Tsukishima made their way up to the platform. He tried to ease his nerves. They’d done this a thousand times. He just needed to forget about the crowd and the fact this was the Olympics. Put himself back in the pool back in Miyagi, they’re practicing. No pressure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ready?” Tsukishima asked as they stood a few steps back from the edge of the platform.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Yamaguchi whispered, not feeling ready at all. The buzzer sounded and that was their cue. In sync, they took three steps, putting their toes on the edge of the platform. Raising their arms over their heads they prepared for the dive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One, two, three,” Tsukishima counted off for them. “Go.” They jumped from the platform, their bodies moving into a pike position as they dove. Yamaguchi braced for the impact with the water, hands coming together outstretched in front of him. His entry was good. He thought that Tsukishima’s was too, but he wasn’t positive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Under the water, Yamaguchi opened his eyes, ignoring the string from the chlorine. He smiled as Tsukishima swam below the surface of the water above him. He followed suit, breaching the surface and getting out of the pool so the next pair could dive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They retrieved their shammys. Yamaguchi focused on rubbing the water from his hair while Tsukishima dried his legs as they walked over to their coach who was grinning. A strong start giving them 54.0 for round one and landing them in the top spot. There was still time for them to be bumped down before the end of the round, but it was a promising score.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi beamed as he and Tsukishima continued to dry the water clinging to their bodies.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Their second dive was a reverse pike, so they stepped up to the edge of the platform and turned around so their backs were to the pool, their heels off the edge of the platform. They stretched their arms out on either side of themselves, their fingertips brushing against one another. Yamaguchi tried to ignore the way his stomach fluttered with the contact.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One, two, three, go.” Tsukishima’s voice was even and calm. In unison, their knees bent and they used their arms to gain as much height as they could. They executed the pike and straightened out, arms once again stretched out above their heads to create a clean entry to the water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beneath the water Yamaguchi swam down and towards the stairs where Tsukishima swam up first. Yamaguchi preferred to take the extra time below the water. It gave him time to calm his heart before having to face Tsukishima and the spectators.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima already had his shammy in his hair, drying off, when Yamaguchi emerged from the water, adjusting his speedo to ensure he was decent. Tsukishima handed him his shammy. Tsukishima’s was a deep purple, where his was a deep evergreen. He smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“53.40,” Tsukishima repeated as their score was announced. Not bad. They were back in first with a total score of 107.40. “My entry wasn’t perfect.” Yamaguchi tipped his head to the side, his wet hair sticking to his cheek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Our score is still pretty high though,” he was struggling to believe that Tsukishima could have had a poor entry, but he also knew Tsukishima was harder on himself than most.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It could be better,” Tsukishima shrugged. “Ready for the next one?” There was a hint of a smile on Tsukishima’s lips. Yamaguchi nodded, his own smile creeping over his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yup.” Their next dive was one of Yamaguchi’s favorites. He wasn’t really sure why, but he felt like he executed it well despite the difficulty and there was just such an exhilarating feeling that he got when they did it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Back up on the platform they paused before taking their three steps to the edge and turning around, toes barely on. Yamaguchi sucked in a deep breath as they raised their arms up over their heads, hands clasped together, much like how they’re positioned before entering the water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One, two, three, go.” They jumped and brought their legs up towards their chests. Three and a half rotations before they ripped through the water. It was good and it was clean. Yamaguchi was pumped. He was grinning the second he was out of the water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tsukki--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good thing you talked Coach into letting us do it,” Tsukishima cut him off. It being the dive. Yamaguchi had actually gotten injured during practice with that dive, he’d hit his head on the platform and needed stitches. He recovered fine and made it back to practice in time to qualify, but their coach had been apprehensive about making Yamaguchi execute a dive that had resulted in an injury.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s one of our best,” Yamaguchi pointed out. They had been in second prior to round three, with this dive’s score of 83.52 they were now back in first. Of course, the team that was giving them a run for their money was second to last in the rotation, so they might be pushed back into second by the end of the round again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Round four, this dive was similar to the last, with three and a half rotations, but this time they were facing the pool on the platform. Tsukishima counted off and they jumped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi knew his entry was bad before he even hit the water. He was twisted slightly, resulting in a larger splash than what was desired. He felt cold, and it wasn’t from the water clinging to his skin. He wasn’t sure how bad it was, but he was concerned for their score.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, Tsukki.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shut up, Tadashi,” Tsukishima’s voice had no bite to it. He was listening. For the scores. 85.68. Yamaguchi’s eyes widened and he looked at Tsukishima. “Whatever you thought you did wrong, clearly wasn’t as bad as you thought.” Yamaguchi let out a shaky breath and smiled at Tsukishima.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their second to last dive was one that they either got right or was a bit off, but their coaches deemed it worth doing because of the difficulty level. They would make up execution points with the difficulty points. Hopefully anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was their only dive that required a running start in order to get the extra height. Of course, that also made more room for error. They needed to take equal steps, prep at the same time, and jump in sync. Otherwise their dives would be off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi’s hand found Tsukishima’s as they stepped onto the platform. Tsukishima gave him a questioning look, which Yamaguchi gave him a little smile in response . It was blurry in Tsukishima’s eyes, but he couldn't help but smile back. They could do this. Tsukishima squeezed Yamaguchi’s hand before dropping it and mentally preparing himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima counted them off. Three steps, skip, and they jumped. Much like the last two dives, they pulled their legs up to their chests to flip tightly. Five rotations. They hit the water, but it wasn’t perfect. Their verticals weren’t where they wanted them and Yamaguchi had jumped out further than Tsukishima had. They didn't hit the water in the same spot in comparison to the platform.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The score didn’t hurt them as badly as it could have, the difficulty having made up for the mistakes. It seemed that it did pay off. They were almost guaranteed a medal at this point.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Round six, the final dive. Yamaguchi and Tsukishima found themselves up on the platform once again. Yamaguchi wasn’t sure how he felt yet. Unless something went horribly wrong, it looked like they would be taking silver. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Silver</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Heck, should something go wrong for the pair that was ahead of them in points for the other five dives, they may even land themselves the gold. Yamaguchi wasn’t sure he believed it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Like always, they took three steps before reaching the end of the platform. They turned, their backs to the water, heels off the platform. Once their fingertips brushed together, Tsukishima counted them off and they jumped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time they strightended their bodies out, twisting as they fell. Two twists before pulling into a pike position for one flip at the end. They ripped through the water easily. It was good. It felt amazing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still standing in the water, just on the steps, Yamaguchi threw himself at Tsukishima, who hugged him back tightly. There was no way that they weren’t going to make the podium. They knew it. They could both feel how good that dive had been. They let go of one another and got out of the pool, watching and waiting for their scores.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>95.04. They found each other on one another’s arms once again. Tsukishima tightened his hold on Yamaguchi when he noticed Yamaguchi shaking. He was crying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We did it, Tsukki, we did it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, of course we did.” Tsukishima was proud of Yamaguchi, and himself. “Because we’re together,” he whispered before letting go and heading over to their coaches who were just as excited. More hugs were exchanged, though Tsukishima wasn’t as comfortable with hugging the coaches as he was with hugging Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi continued to cry from his excitement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The final dives of the round came and went. Tsuksihima and Yamaguchi’s scores weren’t enough to maintain the gold medal position, but they were securely in second for the silver. Yamaguchi was still in shock. He stared at the scoreboard for a long moment before being blindsided by an over excited Sugawara throwing himself at them. Daichi wasn’t far behind joining in on the hug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi was sprawled out on the couch in the lounge area, gingerly holding his silver medal. He was still in shock and awe that he earned it. With Tsukki by his side. Sugawara dropped a hand on his shoulder, startling him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're coming to watch, right?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Of course," Yamaguchi's head bobbed as he nodded. "Tsukki's coming too." Tsukishima, who had just walked into the room, gave him a look. They spent most of their day yesterday at the pool competing in their own event. He wanted to relax, but Yamaguchi would guilt him into going anyway, so he kept his mouth shut.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bring your medals with you." Suga winked at Yamaguchi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why?" Yamaguchi's brows furrowed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So we can take a picture together with them when Daichi and I win ours." Suagwara was grinning as Tsukishima sat down on the couch, his thigh nearly touching Yamaguchi's. Tsukishima huffed softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's a lot of confidence you got there," he muttered. Yamaguchi nudged him with his elbow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I wouldn't be here competing if I wasn't confident in our abilities," Suga shrugged, waving at them as he scampered off after Daichi who was heading out to get ready for their event.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm not bringing my medal," Tsukishima said once they were gone. Yamaguchi shook his head with a small smile. He would grab both of theirs before they headed out, and Tsukishima knew he would.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Daichi and Sugawara made their way out onto the springboard, turning their backs to the pool and positioning themselves barely on the edge for their first dive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ready?” Daichi asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yup,” Sugawara wasn’t ready, but he probably would never be. He lacked confidence as Daichi’s partner. There were doubts in his mind about being able to perform. He hadn’t qualified for the individual events after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They put their arms out and Daichi counted them off. Three bounces on the board, on the third their arms shot up above their heads and they launched themselves upwards. They hit a pike position at the apex of their dive before straightening their bodies quickly for a smooth entry into the pool below.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they emerged from the pool, Sugawara laughed, smiling at Daichi. It was a basic dive, but it was still exhilarating. He was already itching to get back up there for their next round. Their score for this round was identical to that of their first round. Consistent. Consistent was good.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The second dive required a bit of a run up. It was similar to their first dive where they hit a pike before straightening back out, but timing was even more crucial here when they had to time their steps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After their first dive, Suga’s anxiety melted away. He could do this. He and Daichi would do this together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Round three was their first unrestricted dive, so of course they were increasing the difficulty. Another dive requiring a runup. Other pairs might consider it risky, but for them it was natural. They were always decently in sync. One, two steps, skip, bounce, jump. As they went up they piked for a single somersault before straightening out for two and a half twists before ripping through the surface of the water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The score was good. The judges seemed to like it. This pushed them into first. They’d been sitting in third after the first round, so this was a promising first half to the event. They hoped to keep it up through the second half.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sugawara winked at Daichi as they stepped up to the base of the springboard. Their difficulty increased yet again with a reverse one and a half somersault with three and a half twists. In practice they’d lost their synchronization in the end a few times, but they were feeling confident today.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara hugged Daichi immediately after, laughing excitedly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Round five was a bit of a let down. It was an inward three and a half somersault. It had gone well in flight, but it got away from them with their entry into the water. There was too much splash and they’d lost their vertical.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sugawara watched for their score, nibbling on his bottom lip. He winced when it showed up. It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t what they were hoping for. It could cost them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t mind,” Daichi said softly, his hand resting on the small of Suga’s back. “We have one more dive to pull it back together.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sugawara bounced on his heels, ready to make their final dive. This was their most difficult dive, a four and a half somersault in the tuck position, requiring a run up entry. They were ready. If this went right, they would almost certainly get a medal, if they screwed it up they’d fall short.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They can’t see themselves or each other in the moment, but they both felt it. They felt how </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span> it was. Sugawara yelled as soon as he emerged from the water, slamming his hands down creating a splash around himself, Daichi pumped a fist, also letting out his excitement vocally.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They climbed out of the water and approached their coaches as the score popped up on the board. Without missing a beat Sugawara threw himself at Daichi, his legs wrapping around Diachi’s center as they hugged. They catapulted into first place. There was still time to be bumped down, or even off the podium, but it was very unlikely. It looked like they were going to be getting a medal today, the question was just what color would it be?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The wait wasn’t terribly long, the last few teams taking their dives. Sugawara and Daichi did get pushed down into second, but they maintained that position. The scores were solidified. They were going to be bringing home the silver medal in the 3m synchronized diving event.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>***</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sugawara and Daichi smiled proudly from the second step of the podium. They each had an arm looped around the over, Daichi's over Sugawara's shoulders and Suga's around Daichi's waist. Cameras flashed as they held up the heavy silver medals that hung around their necks. Daichi leaned down to whisper something in Sugawara's ear, making him laugh. Once the photographers had their fill of snapping photos of the medalists, Daichi and Suga made their way over to where Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were waiting for them. Yamaguchi threw his arms around Suga, much like he had done to Yamaguchi a few days prior.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Congratulations!" Yamaguchi beamed at his teammates, genuinely excited for them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you," Daichi smiled back, adrenaline and disbelief still coursing through his veins as he slid off his team jacket. He wasn't wearing a shirt under it, having only put the garment on for the medal ceremony. Tsukishima's mouth opened to also congratulate them but was cut off by an excited Suga.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You brought your medals, right? We need to take a picture together!" Sugawara was practically vibrating as he grabbed the other two divers’ arms. Daichi's muscles rippled as he moved to tug off his track pants, which he also only put on for the medal ceremony. Tsukishima gave him a questioning look, to which Daichi only offered a shrug. Daichi obediently followed Suga while he drug their teammates to the edge of the pool. Sugawara stole Tsukishima's phone, his own being back in the locker room still, and asked one of the coaches to take a photo for them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They each wore their silver medals. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi matched, wearing the full team tracksuit. Sugawara was also wearing it, but his jacket was now unzipped to expose his pale, toned chest. Daichi was the odd man out, having stripped down to his speedo once again. At least the tiny scrap of material technically matched the rest of the team apparel. It was the same color scheme and relative design.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They bunched up together, three of them smiling and one looking like he would rather be anywhere else. This was something none of them wanted to forget. It wasn't every day that one earned a silver medal at the Olympics, and they'd each earned one in their respective synchronized events.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Coach lowered the phone, having snapped several photos of his divers. He didn't quite get to hand the phone back, however.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suga caught the look in Daichi's eyes and his eyes flew open wide. He managed to shuck off his jacket, but he didn't have time for anything else. Daichi, the strongest of the four of them, decided that it was time for a celebratory dip in the pool, whether they liked it or not. Tsukishima realized what was happening too late, just before his body hit the water. Poor Yamaguchi also had been caught off guard, coughing as he resurfaced. Tsukishima grumbled, managing to keep his glasses on and not on their way down to the depths of the pool. Sugawara was laughing as he punched Daichi just a little too hard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We did it,” Daichi said softly, smiling fondly at Sugawara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unannounced to them, their coach managed to get a few shots of them and their little swim. And he wasn't the only one. A few reporters and photographers saw the scene and couldn't resist getting a few shots of their own for when they wrote on the happenings of the event.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima was the first to pull himself from the chlorinated water. He held out his arms, the sleeves of his jacket heavy and dripping. He was grumbling about not having a change of clothes here.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't worry, I have extra in the locker room you can borrow," Suga offered from where he still remained in the water. Tsukishima gave him a look. They weren't exactly the same size. Daichi pulled himself from the water next, his clothes remaining dry since he had the forethought to remove them before sending himself and his teammates into the pool.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yamaguchi pulled himself out of the pool. He took a few steps, still laughing about the impromptu swim, until he felt a weight in his pocket. His phone. He dug it out and looked at it mournfully. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sugawara sat down at the table across from Yamaguchi, who had his head resting on his arms, staring at a bowl of uncooked rice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatcha doin’?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm? Oh, just waiting,” Yamaguchi sat up, nodding vaguely at the bowl. “I’m hoping the rice will soak the moisture out of my phone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your phone? What happened?” Sugawara asked, poking at the rice. Yamaguchi rubbed the back of his neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was in my pocket at your event earlier.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At the event-- oh,” realization dawned on Suga. “Oh! I’m so sorry--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s all good,” Yamaguchi laughed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The following afternoon, Tsukishima didn't feel nearly as motivated to perform as he did with the synchronized event. Yamaguchi always pushed him and is the reason why Tsukishima hadn't given up diving back in high school. He is where he is now because of Yamaguchi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed to himself. Yamaguchi was watching. Expecting him to do well, or at least his best. That would be his driving factor. Yamaguchi didn't make it past the qualifier round, so now Tsukishima was going to dive for the both of them. He owed that much to Yamaguchi. He stepped into the locker room where most of his competitors were already gathered to change.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima took a few steps in and saw one of the Russian competitors, who was frankly giant, and wearing a hardly existent neon speedo with some sort of abstract design on it in equally obnoxious colors. He had enough of looking at that and promptly took off his glasses. No thanks.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima breathed in deeply as he approached the end of the platform. He swore softly to himself. He wanted to scan the crowd for Yamaguchi, but without his glasses he couldn’t see shit. He turned his back to the water, his heels just touching the edge of the platform and he leaned forward to plant his hands firmly on the ground. Slowly, and with great control, he pulled his legs up and brought himself into a handstand. He didn’t linger there too long, not wanting to fatigue himself. He used his legs as leverage to get extra height as he dove.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One twist with his body straightened followed by a pike into the water. His heels were slightly over, but overall it wasn’t a bad dive. He’d changed the order of his dives from the semifinal round where Yamaguchi got knocked out of the running. He wasn’t sure if it would make a difference, but he’d done it anyway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With all six rounds done and the final scores from the remaining diver coming in, Tsukishima remained on the podium, earning a bronze medal. He’d retrieved his glasses when he pulled on his warmups for the medal ceremony. It didn’t take him long to locate Yamaguchi’s beaming smile in the crowd. That’s where he focused his attention through it. He even gave the photographers a smile, but that was mostly because the proud look on Yamaguchi’s face was contagious. He’d earned himself two medals for his Olympic debut.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Daichi’s individual event was the following day. His dives were good, but not quite good enough in comparison to his competitors. He missed the podium and landed in fourth place.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It doesn't really feel real,” Yamaguchi mumbled, mostly to himself. Tsukishima glanced at him from the corner of his eye. Sugawara and Daichi smiled at him from across the table. It’d been a few days since their events and they’d decided to go out for some celebratory drinks before the Olympics were officially over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That you’re an Olympic silver medalist?” Suga asked with a grin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That I’m an Olympian at all, and that we’re silver medalists,” Yamaguchi confirmed. Daichi and Suga shared a look. While all four of them had taken silver, they knew that Yamaguchi was referring to himself and Tsukishima when he said “we.” They understood how special it was to share the world stage with someone so important.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To our time at the Olympic games!” Suga grinned as he held up his glass in the center of the table. Daichi laughed at him, but picked up his own glass to tap it again Sugawara’s. Yamaguchi, and a reluctant Tsukishima, followed suit.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This fic was part of the HQ Olympic Bang event! I highly encourage you to check out the artwork that pairs with this piece from the lovely Mishi. https://mi-shi-art.tumblr.com/post/625922155065016320/my-piece-for-the-olympicsbang-based-off-of</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>